This book was really good - I truthfully had no idea who the killer was for the majority of the book, and it had been awhile since I'd really read a police type thriller so I really appreciated that. It was also interesting how the events from the past were linked to the current murder. Definitely recommend this for a quick and suspenseful read.

This one is really good. I couldn't put it down. It definitely took way less than a day to read it. I had to force myself to stop periodically so that I could accomplish other things, but it was definitely a struggle. If all books were like this, I'd probably starve because no way would I ever leave my apartment. In this, Miranda is a cop in a small town and her past is about to come back to haunt her. A beloved professor is found murdered in a rather unsavory manner and the clues are pointing to Miranda as the murderer. I hope that doesn't give too much away. It is so gripping. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good mystery. It gets extra points because I didn't figure it out until the main character did.

A brilliant thriller that just keeps you guessing and turning the pages.
Another great book from Erica Spindler.

Yet another suspenseful and amazon piece from an amazing author. As always I was drawn into the setting of the town, and the main character. This is great summer mystery beach read and one you don't want to miss!

This book had me hooked from the first page. A good mystery with a wide array of interesting and credible characters; a well plotted story which unravelled at a steady pace. I particularly liked the main female lead, Miranda for her strength and persistence in resolving the past and present incidents.
What I really liked about the book though was it's simplicity and lack of sensationalism unlike a lot of other books in this genre that I have read, but yet still maintain a sense of anticipation.
I was given an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.

“The Other Girl” is a police procedural featuring Miranda (Randi) Rader as she investigates the brutal murder of a beloved college professor, Richard Stark. The story of the investigation is interspersed with a life-changing event that happened to Randi when she was 15 years old and abducted by a young man alongside another girl- she escaped but was unable to get anyone to believe her story. After that and some jail time for possession, she turned her life around and became a police officer.

The murder of Stark pulls her in very quickly as she finds an article at his house about the night she was arrested- and then she starts to make connections between what is happening now and what happened then. She seeks to uncover who Stark really is- maybe not the beloved professor he seems to be on the surface- as well as to solve his murder. However, justice does not seem to be on her side. Her supervisor, Buddy, one of the officers who took her story when she was 15 and whom she came to really admire, seems to doubt her at every turn and to antagonize her. Things spiral as she gets too close to the case and gets suspended. The only people who seem to be on her side is her partner, Jake, who also seems to be interested in her romantically, and her friend, Summer, who owns a local bar.

The pace of the story is perfect, and it keeps you hooked from the get-go. The mystery really keeps you going, and the interjections from her story when she was 15 does not detract from the overall investigation- instead, it gives context to her mindset and present life. I do wish it was harder to figure out who did it- I figured it out really early on and I was hoping there would be more twists and turns than there actually were. Although it was easy to figure out, the writing style was gripping and it was a fascinating read. I would like to read more stories featuring Randi and Jake in the future.

The romance took a backseat to the action, and I found it an okay addition, almost not quite enough to understand/root for the couple but enough for people who like to have some relationships alongside their mysteries. It existed more than it was a key part of the story. For people who may be sensitive, there are repeated mentions of sexual assault but none (except the attempted one in the first chapter) are described in detail. If you love quick police procedurals, I think this would be a great book for you! It definitely keeps the reader engaged and is a good summer mystery read- I just wish it was harder to figure out!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Erica Spindler for years and this book didn't disappoint! The same kind of on the edge of your seat mystery tale with some romance thrown in, as well as some twists and turns. A quick read because of the great pacing of the story, I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one!

4.5 Stars

This was my first Erica Spindler book, I so loved this book and her writing that this won’t be last one.

Characters- Detective Miranda Rader. She was portrayed very nicely throughout the book. I loved this character. Strong, full of emotions, learning from mistakes, logical. Perfect woman character I would like to see as a protagonist. Her development was really amazing. All secondary characters were interesting specially police department ones and victims.

What I liked? “The Other Girl” opens with the crime scene. Damn that gruesome chilling description, and feeling of killer (when you’ll read, you will know why I said that), I could see I’m going to like this book. And next thing that caught my attention in starting only was mind blowing police procedural writing.

First few chapters gave the basic idea what’s going on and who is going to be killer, of course without name and identity (just idea). Not much guesswork. You know, it was like, the dots are given of the picture and by covering few dots you can know what picture is going to be at the end. But few dots are given here and there to mislead you. That was what the book was and so was the protagonist.

The book revolves around Miranda and the case she was leading. She had quite a history. Events from the past life of Miranda in between present life added the spices in the book. That was excellent, well written and very interesting. It gave all the clarity what happened with Miranda, and why this case and why she was accused and that only ultimately leads to killer. Twist and turns- Book also had few shocks that I haven’t expected. Those timings was perfect I mean, you could guess what was going to come in the book at some points but you keep reading for it to come and Boo! It’s there. Not at any point it felt stretched or boring.

Another remarkable thing was I started doubting everyone in the book. Though you know that person is not killer, it gave that feeling ‘Something is wrong with this person’. Rage, vengeance, hatred, compassion, love- these feelings ruled the book. Dysfunctional family drama was really touching. This book made me cry. I never thought crime thriller can have that effect on me. Oh! And message for women, don’t fall for the face it can be very harmful. ;)

End- Great! No words for this. I was holding my breath in last few chapters. It was amazing.

Why 4.5? One thing I couldn’t understand was each chapters starts with time and no dates! Why dates were not given? I had to keep a track that ‘okay here starts another day’. I feel, if the dates were mentioned it would have been easier to follow.

Overall, I was so into the book that I haven’t even noticed time or made any note or comment to write for the review. This is entertaining, thrilling and real fast paced book. It took me 2 days to read but those who are real fast readers this is one sitting read for them.

Miranda is a cop, respected, well liked and trusted. But fourteen years before she accepted a ride from two young people going to a party. She woke up not knowing where she was, tied up and another girl, Cathy was there too. Cathy had been raped and feared it would happen to Miranda. Miranda manages to escape, promising Cathy she would bring help. But Miranda did not have the best repputation at that time and her story was not believed. By the time she got someone to believe her and they went to the site, nothing was there. Now, fourteen years later, a college professor is murdered, and the events of fourteen years ago threaten to unravel Miranda. This story was action packed, with a lovely romance and very thrilling.

This was my first Erica Spindler book and I really did love it. I will definitely be reading more of her books. This one grabbed me straight from the beginning. I found it to be very well plotted and entertaining. It had me turning the pages quickly to see what was coming next. Some of it is fairly obvious but, equally, there are a few good twists and unexpected turns. As much as I could predict the ending, I really enjoyed everything in the book. I just wanted it to keep on going. The characters were well developed, with realistic dialogue. I love Miranda, and her partner Jake. They made this book addicting, and engaging. You wanted to know about them, and their back story, and how they would fit in this wonderful twisty puzzle of a book!

Miranda is a cop with a past that has turned her life around. A incident in her teen years has came back to haunt her. A savage murder opens up the past. She and her partner Jake have been called to the scene of a gruesome murder. A local college professor has been murdered. His father is very influential in town and wants the case closed, fast, and he doesn't want it to reflect badly on the University. As the investigation carries on, Miranda's prints are found at the crime scene even when she is certain she did not touch anything without her gloves on. But then it hits her that the deceased professor is the one who had abducted her. Things get complicated for her when another body turns up and the only connection the dead men have with each other is Miranda. She is then thrown off the case. A classic example of people not being who they seem and a friend being disguised as a ruthless enemy.

This was so gripping and felt like I was on a roller coaster ride. Even though I was able to guess who the killer was right away, I found the story to be very thrilling. This was a very quick story. I had to find out what was going on and kept me up late at night. I practically finished this in a day. The next day I only had 30 minutes left in the book. I can't wait to read my next Erica Spindler book. I always love to find a new author who has many books out there to read.

I want to thank Netgalley, the Publisher, and Erica Spindler for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

A great police procedural from Erica Spindler. This one reeled me in quickly and didn't let go until the final page. With a cast of believable characters and a well written plot, this book has it all ... suspense, twists and a bit of romance all rolled into one. My only recommendation is not to start it late at night, you will end up sleep deprived the next morning 😊

3.5 Stars

Miranda Rader is a police detective in Louisiana, a job she worked had to obtain and overcame many obstacles in order to do so. She has a somewhat troubled past and tries her best to not let that get in the way of her profession. When she is called to the murder scene of a wealthy professor her past comes back to haunt her. How is she connected to the murder victim and how far are certain people willing to go to make sure her connection is known among everyone?

This is the second book I've read by Erica Spindler (the other book was The First Wife) and I liked this book much better. The characters were well laid out and I was able to connect with all of them. The story was easy to follow and once I got into the book I didn't want to put it down. The "twist" at the end was slightly predictable, but only a little before it played out in the book. I would recommend this book and thank the publisher for the ARC!

A prominent professor has been killed in Louisiana and Miranda is the detective that is handling the case. Quickly she realizes that this killing is connected to something in her past, so it is up to her to find out who killed the professor and how it connects to her. There is also a romantic plot line in the novel so that it is very similar to a Debra Webb or Wendi Corsi Staub novel. A quick read for me on a Saturday afternoon and enjoyed it very much. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

2 stars--it was okay.

The story, though predictable, was the best thing about this book; it did keep me reading. However, everything else was kind of bland. The characters and writing were overly simplified, I thought.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

This main character in this story is Det Miranda Rader. She and her partner Jake have been called to the scene of a gruesome murder. A local college professor has been murdered. His Father is very influential in town and wants the case closed, fast, and he doesn't want it to reflect badly on the University. Everyone sings the praises of the murdered professor, but all is not what it first appears to be.

There are flashbacks through out the book to 15 years ago and an event in Mirandas life which changed her life and effects her views on this case. The flashbacks don't interrupt the flow of the book and help develop some of the characters. There is some romance in the book. The story line flows well and there is some great dialogue. I would recommend this book to any reader of suspense books. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy. I would give this book 4 1/2 stars.

What a great page turner! I really enjoyed this book and didn't know what would happen next

I was really excited to read The Other Girl when I read the blurb on NetGalley. I mean, it was a murder mystery with a heroine who wasn’t perfect. So when I got the email stating that I was accepted, I was pretty excited. I love a good murder mystery with a strong female heroine but I was also a bit cautious in my excitement. See, I have been burned by books that have excellent blurbs but the story wasn’t that great. I am happy to report that The Other Girl lives up to its blurb.

I felt a little bad for Miranda but at the same time, I couldn’t understand why she didn’t leave Hammond if she was regarded in such a bad light. It seemed to me that she put herself through a whole bunch of stress trying to live down her past. It was her past as a wild child who lied that came to haunt her during the murder investigation. See, Miranda (known as Randi back in the day) hitched a ride with the wrong person and something terrible happened to her and the girl who was with her. She managed to escape but when she told the police, they didn’t believe her and one of the police officers openly mocked Randi. That night, she decided that she was going to turn herself around. Which she did and all was right in her world until this murder, 15 years later.

I can tell you now that I knew that the chief was dirty, as was the father of the murder victim. The father was so shady acting it wasn’t funny and the chief was way to quick to point fingers at Miranda. Way to quick and that sent up a red flag early in the book. Not going to get more into it and if you want to know what I am talking about….read the book.

The romance between Jake and Miranda was cute but honestly, I didn’t think it was needed. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the main character getting laid but I didn’t think that it was truly needed in this book. It did show that Miranda had a softer side but I think that was shown in her interactions with Summer.

Speaking of Summer, I had a clue about who she was about halfway through the book. I thought that her whole storyline was incredibly sad and I really wasn’t surprised when things went down the way that they did. I did admire her feelings of friendship for Miranda…regardless of what happened later in the book.

The end of the book was pretty standard. I will say that I wasn’t surprised at who the killer was. But, what I did enjoy was that all the storylines got tied up and resolved. I was extremely happy about that because things actually got resolved. I do hope that the author chooses to write more with Miranda’s character. I would truly enjoy reading another book with her as the main character.

How many stars will I give The Other Girl: 4

Why: While I figured out certain key elements of the story about halfway through the book, the author did a great job of creating a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I truly enjoyed reading the book.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, violence language. Also talk of rape and use of date rape drug

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read the Other Girl by Erica Spindler. This is my first read of Spindler's and it was a solid crime novel with a flawed female protaganist that you can't help but like.
The descriptive local, as well as, vivid characters will have the reader involved and invested in solving a murder. Also, keep you on the edge of your seat for a good ending.
Quick summer read.

I found this story to be just "okay." Not very thrilling at all. Very slow going and fairly easy to guess the outcome. I read the whole book, it was not awful, but not great either. Disappointed as I have read much better from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher. I love this author and this was a gripping addictive book to read. I was drawn into the story right from the beginning